It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact the West Mesa Mustangs can now relate to. The matchup between West Mesa and Rio Rancho wasn't particularly close, with West Mesa falling 35-21. West Mesa has struggled against Rio Rancho recently, as their matchup on Friday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
West Mesa's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Elijah Brody, who rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown, and Marcus Sharp who gained 108 total yards and two touchdowns. Brody is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last four games he's played.
Leading Rio Rancho to victory were Rayce Ramirez and Jj Arellano. Ramirez rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.7 yards per carry, while Arellano threw for 218 yards and three touchdowns. Ramirez was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 54 yards. Dominic Valencia did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 104 receiving yards.
West Mesa's defeat dropped their record down to 6-5. As for Rio Rancho, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season.
West Mesa does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Rio Rancho will head out on the road to face off against Sandia at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Sandia will be looking to keep their five-game home win streak alive.
